Serious Research is a Key to Successful Treasure Hunting, page 1
by Sergei UpstateNY, last time modified:
Want to learn how to conduct map research, footwork and observation, internet and archives research and other ways to obtain good leads? Here is a complete guide with tutorials!
NOTE: This is my old research guide which was created in 2008. Since then, a few effective tools - the cutting-edge online and smartphone map applications, have become available to detectorists. By using these apps, one can conduct the map research and area exploration much faster and easier than ever.
Even though this research guide may seem a little bit outdated, it contains practical info that is still essential for obtaining good leads and locating productive hunt sites not known to others. My new, 2020 updated research guide will include all info on the recent map apps, and it is coming up soon.
Metal Detecting Research
Introduction
To do the best in metal detecting, a detectorist must be armed with one of the most important components - the knowledge of good locations to search.
Just like in any successful real estate business, "location, location and location!" is the key principle in serious metal detecting. That means "research, research and research!"
Without conducting a serious research, a metal detectorist cannot obtain any good leads to the never-searched and, therefore, "fruitful" locations. So the detectorist ends up detecting at the well-known, frequently visited and the so-called "hunted-out" sites, and competing with other detectorists who are doing the same. Such a passive approach to pursuing the hobby only results in wasting a lot of time and effort for recovering only fewer and mediocre finds.
Theoretically, a good site to metal detect is an area that was or has been utilized (trade, business, recreation, etc.) by either a few people over a long period of time, or by thousands over a brief period of time. In reality, the best hunt sites are the ones that have not seen many detectorists or, even better, have not been searched at all. Research, now more than ever, is essential for finding such good sites and getting true rewards for substantial time and efforts put into the process.
The metal detecting research includes map analysis (map research), archival studies (also the Internet and electronic libraries), interviewing the old-timers and their relatives, etc. The final stage of every research project is a thorough field-survey (footwork) of the site that has been identified as potential by conducting preceding research methods.
Out of many forms of research, including archival studies, used to find either a specific type or just any common type of hunt sites, basic map research and footwork are easy to conduct, quite effective and do not require special skills. This guide is mainly focusing on these two basic research methods which would get you started and help you get satisfactory results.
Some enthusiasts might argue that these methods conceptualize the search for the "obvious", and partially it is true. But in many cases, the productive sites are simply overlooked by everybody who considers them the apparent and easily accessible and, therefore, "hammered out", and turns away from them.
A few other types of research are explained in the final chapter of this guide. Please feel free to submit your own practical tips and advices that could help others! Above is a Table of Contents to help you navigate through many sections of this inclusive guide.
